Small diameter tree - no obvious lean?

[Bushler]

I'm not mad, can I call you Leupold?

Two years ago I was bull bucking for a crew of three cutters, and myself. Two of the cutters were constantly having me come get them out of jack pots. Agitated I asked one of them where his plumb bob was....he didn't know what I was talking about.

His strip was a mess. The second cutter was the same, not a clue. I let both of them find other employment.

 

[Humptulips]

I bet your Dad carried a bob when he was topping tall spar trees.

You would lose that bet.
The trees I have topped no trouble deciphering lean. Most are limb heavy and you can go with that. Only had one set back on me and that was wind. Topping trees in gusty wind not the most intelligent thing to be doing but kind of forced to do it. It was white fir to boot. Scared the begeebers out of me. Didn't pinch the saw though and fell it the way it set back although it made a kind of a mess. Right on a bunch of coils I had cold decked.

 

[ropensaddle]

I'm not mad, can I call you Leupold?

Two years ago I was bull bucking for a crew of three cutters, and myself. Two of the cutters were constantly having me come get them out of jack pots. Agitated I asked one of them where his plumb bob was....he didn't know what I was talking about.

His strip was a mess. The second cutter was the same, not a clue. I let both of them find other employment.

Heck no, I am not a generic, more like Carl Zeiss or Swarofski not
something you can get at wally world I don't think ya would have to
worry about a mess with me but I may be slacking some as I have slowed
down some as the dust is starting to settle in me hair

 

[Bushler]

I'm surprized your dad didn't carry one. Maybe he used his ax for plumb. Lot of guys do...I just never liked that as much.

Give it a try...see if you don't like it. I'll shut up about it now.

 

[joesawer]

Just for the fun of it, and in the name of science, I tried a variation of your theory on cutting a kerf on one side to move a small tree towards the needed lean.
I had to cut a small pine on a steep bank that grew out of the ground at about a 30 degree angle for about 3 feet, then made an abrupt turn nearly straight up and just slightly up the hill.
The sharply angled lower 3 feet leaned down the hill. This put the hinge wood close to the ground above the center of mass, so that if cut close to the ground the favor was down the hill. If cut at the crook the favor was slightly up the hill.
I wanted the tree to go up the hill, so I cut into it above the crook until it started to open the kerf on the back cut with no face. This moved the top of the tree farther up hill. Then I faced and back cut the stump, and it tried to set back. So I moved back to the upper cut and cut a little deeper, the top moved some more, but not enough.
I wound up cutting the top cut until it peeled off and then cut the stump off.
I would have been better off to have cut a small face in the upper part and let it close on the face, or make a more open face and just cut if off.
In relevance to your situation I could not get the top to move very far before it wanted to split and fall without a face.

On the plumb bob, I don't carry a weight and string, but use my ax often. It is not nearly as precise, but it gives a good reference.
When there is absolutely nothing level or square in sight and the whole world seems to be turned on edge, I need a good reference to judge the lean.
With an ax you have to be careful not to influence it with your grip. You have to pinch the handle so that the head hangs down with out being pulled off to one side or the other. You also cannot see the whole tree at one time. I will often line up where my hinge is going to be, then site up one side of the handle then the other.
Bushler is absolutely correct, you have to judge the whole mass of the tree, not just the trunk.
A while back some one on here commented on The wind blowing the plumb bob over and making it ineffective. If the wind is fairly steady and from generally the same direction, it can make directional falling a "breeze".

 

[ropensaddle]

Yeah on the whole mass but I don't need the bob I do understand
the rest though. I have seen many people make the mistake of looking at
log lean only and fooled because top weight grown opposite the tree
will nearly always follow the top weight. Every once in a while it don't
matter if you shoot it with a transit, use a bob or have a keen eye as
I do, the tree is dead set against fooling ya's!